Attatched
by The Dark Crimson Blood
Summary: Ace was always convinced that he was better off alone. He was wrong. AU! Brotherly Ace, Luffy.
1. Ace

**Title** Attatched  
 **Genre** : Angst/Hurt/Comfort  
 **Characters** : Ace/Luffy Brotherly  
 **Summary** : Ace was always convinced that he was better off alone.  
 **Words: 3,410**

Ten year old Ace was always convinced that he was better off alone. His father was a convict who had only wanted to live his life as free as the birds in the sky, and his mother was on her deathbed. Dying.

The few people who didn't scorn him for being a criminal's son, would pity him because they know of his dying mother. People would look at him through and through, only seeing his parents. Not him. Never Ace.

Whatever, he thinks. He doesn't need them. He doesn't need anyone.

Being alone was better than being with people who would never understand you. Even his grandfather Garp is distant; coming home only to restock the shelves in the house, bring Ace a new toy that he didn't want, and then he was off again. The ten year old boy is happy to have adjusted to this way of life, and had no intention of changing his mind anytime soon.

This time is different. Garp comes home with a child, a baby. Though tiny and unbelievably skinny, nothing stops him from smiling. Wait, Ace thinks. Is this because he asked for a puppy last Christmas? If so, then this wasn't funny.

Jokes aside, Ace was pissed.

His glare intensifies. Just who did this man think he was, bringing some snot nosed baby back with him? What did he expect Ace to do? Welcome the idea with open arms and suddenly cheer up? This wasn't an orphanage or a foster home, this was Ace's house! The same one he used to live in with his Rouge and Roger!

He'd be damned if he let this crybaby ruin it. "This is Luffy; he's three. He's going to be your little brother from now on."

Hell no. "I don't need a little brother. I don't _want_ one."

Garp gives him a look that says 'too bad,' and leaves the child there anyway. Ace stands straight across from kid; big round eyes stare back at him. It feels like a showdown, the same one cowboys had in the movies he used to watch with his father. 'Bam,' He thinks as one of the cowboys shoots the other. He would be the winner.

Ace brings all his fingers to his palm, lets his thumb lie across them, and tightens his newly formed fist until his nails dig into his skin. "I don't want you here."

Luffy doesn't say anything. He looks down at his feet and his smile falls; compared to the hopeful look on his face, now he just looks devastated. His face becomes stunningly blank; Ace feels a bit guilty, but he pushes it into the back of his head. "Just stay there and leave me alone." He growls, and the smaller child obeys him without the slightest bit of hesitation. Weird.

He really does stay there, much to Ace's amazement. Just against the door, sitting with his knees brought into his chest and his head down just as it always was. Ace doesn't pay him much attention throughout the day, or even when he's getting ready for bed.

Luffy's there in the morning, never moving away from the spot Ace told him to stay in. Honestly, Ace isn't sure why he's so annoyed about this. "Why are you just sitting here? Can't you just leave?"

Surprisingly enough, he reaches for the door.

Ace feels a pit of unease quench in his stomach. He doesn't like it, he doesn't like Luffy. The freckled boy clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth and points to the steps. "There's a bedroom up the stairs, to the left. Use it until Gramps comes back and takes you away."

Again, there's no response. The three year old silently grabs at the strings on his backpack as he climbs up the stairs with little difficulty; Ace watches him make a left down the hall, just as instructed.

The sound of a door squeaking open and closing with a barely audible click echoes through the empty house. Good, Ace thinks. He won't have to look at him anymore.

Ace is stubborn and mean sometimes, but he's not cruel. By the time afternoon comes by, Luffy still hasn't left his room. He hasn't asked for anything to eat or drink and it would seem that he spends all his time in the corner of his bedroom, or on the bed that has been pushed up against the wall for reasons unknown. If this brat died on Ace's watch, Gramps wouldn't let him live it down.

Wouldn't it have been better to just get him a dog? Ace has been asking for one since Christmas and when he said 'dog,' he didn't mean 'Child.'

Reluctantly, Ace tells him that he needs to eat when he's hungry. Luffy can't reach the shelves to get food, so Ace puts the simpler things that he could probably handle by himself on the lower shelves.

Things like the bowl of fruit that sat in the sun, ripening. Or little snacks that he could munch on throughout the day. Somehow this turns into Ace making enough food for two when he cooked, and leaving a step stool by the sink so he had access to water. After Luffy falls off the step stool twice in the same day, Ace takes it away and tells him to ask if he wants something.

Eventually, Luffy does.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" At first, Ace wants to yell at the insufferable brat for daring to wake him up in the middle of the night. After all, Ace really enjoyed sleeping. At the realization that Luffy finally spoke with actual words coming out of his actual mouth, Ace feels compelled to say yes. This was the first time Luffy's talked to him within the month that he's been here for.

The sight of the tiny brat in the doorway with messy hair and hopeful pink eyes is kind of hard to say no to. "Just tonight!" The corners of Luffy's lips twitch in what he guesses is an attempt to smile, and before long the small child with incredibly cold feet is pulling himself up onto the bed and snuggling far closer to Ace than the older would've liked.

Ace pushes him away at first.

He remembers sleeping with his mother when he was younger. The way she would welcome him with open arms every time he had a nightmare, anytime he wanted a hug, or just because he wanted to sleep with her that night.

She always smelled of flowers, like the pink hibiscus she loved so much. Ace felt warm with her, and though he didn't want to admit it, he felt warm with Luffy too. Only Luffy didn't smell like pink hibiscus flowers. He smelled like he needed a bath, badly.

"You're getting a bath in the morning."

He's already asleep.

When morning comes and breakfast passes, Ace walks Luffy to daycare before heading off to school himself. On the way back Ace will pick Luffy up from daycare and head home, but today there's something preventing him from going home.

There's a bruise.

There's a bruise on Luffy's face, forming right on his left cheek. It's turning an angry blue, and might even turn purple later. Whoever hit Luffy, hit him hard.

Ace wants to know who it was, but Luffy keeps his mouth clamped shut.

Whatever, he thinks stubbornly. If Luffy didn't want to tell him then he wouldn't force it out of him, it had nothing to do with Ace and he would like to keep it that way. His mood sours and he doesn't hold Luffy's hand as they walk home; the younger of the two struggles to keep up with Ace's long strides, even if he does slow down every time Luffy falls too far behind.

It almost feels like they're fighting. It's silly, stupid really. Ace reasons with himself, but then the next day Luffy comes back with a bloody knee and another bruise on his shoulder. Luffy bites his lip, clenches his fists, and does everything he possibly can to make Ace believe that everything was okay. That he was okay. Ace sees past him.

Ace sees the way Luffy cowers away from his best friend Sabo's little brother, Stelly.

He nearly gets in trouble for threatening a five year old child that day. He doesn't regret it. "I told you. If you ever need anything, just ask me. It'll cause problems if you don't." Little three year old Luffy looks up at him, eyes full of understanding and thousands of unspoken apologizes. Ace puts a hand on his head and everything is fine again. "I'll always protect you, okay?" It's a promise.

Maybe Luffy was better than the dog he wanted after all.

Gramps comes back for his eleventh birthday; he sports gifts of all kinds, Ace's favorite is the cake. Luffy's eyes light up like nothing before when he takes the first bite; Ace doesn't care that the icing gets all over his face and fingers, let alone Luffy's complete disregard for silverware. He feels happy watching Luffy; all his other new toys and games are left off to the side as the day ends.

Wait, Ace forgets. When was Luffy's birthday? He stares at the small toddler for a couple long seconds, trying to figure out how old he might be. Had Luffy ever even actually told him? "Luffy how old are you?"

Eyes shifting timidly towards Garp and then right back to him, the youngest of the bunch holds out four icing covered finger and gives a half smile. "Four! Already? Your birthday was awhile ago, wasn't it?"

"When is your birthday?"

Luffy shrugs his shoulders and looks down. Ace wonders if it's because of the lack of familiarity with Garp that Luffy feels so timid around him. Garp pulls up his phone and runs his finger across the screen a few times, it doesn't take him long to find whatever he's looking for.

"May fifth. Children's day." Ace wants to yell at Luffy for not saying anything, but he keeps it to himself. It wouldn't do anyone any good to make the kid more uncomfortable than he already was.

Within four months he'll be five. Ace decides that he's going to save his allowance and use it to buy Luffy a cake. "Next week we're going to take Luffy back to the orphanage. I know you don't like living with-"

Ace slams his hands onto the table and stands up, looking a bit flustered with his own sudden outburst. "I- Um, If he wants to he could stay a bit longer."

Garp raises an eyebrow. "Is that okay with you, Luffy?"

The tiny five year old nods furiously, messy hair flying everywhere as his head bobs up and down in acknowledgement. When Garp leaves, he leaves behind a sense of relief. Luffy wasn't going anywhere.

Ace doesn't know when he got so attached.

Maybe it's because they're both prone to nightmares that they end up sleeping together again. Ace because of his dying mother and criminal father, and Luffy because of whatever went on inside his head that he never seemed to want to talk about.

Ace drags Luffy's bed into his bedroom; they the two beds together and sleep together every night. Because of the nightmares, of course. Because of the nightmares. Luffy is clingy. He's always so close to Ace that it feels like he's going to get tripped on; it's annoying at first, but Ace gets used to it.

Just like he gets used to the three am morning confessions, where Luffy will wake him up just to declare his fondness for Ace and then go right back to bed as if it had never happened. Ace feels almost as if his family had gotten bigger; it wasn't just him and his parents anymore; it was him, his parents, and Luffy.

Luffy was his... Friend? Acquaintance? Accomplice?

Luffy was his brother.

Ace tells him that on his sixth birthday, Luffy never looked happier. Ace couldn't be happier. Now all he needed was his mother to get better and his father to be released from the hospital and everything would be okay again. Things would be better than ever, but life wasn't that easy. Nothing was that easy.

Luffy is six when he meets the woman Ace loves more than anything in the world. She's beautiful, when Luffy looks at Rouge he sees Ace. Ace's freckles, Ace's smile, Ace. Ace. Ace. Luffy wonders if Ace is going to grow up to look like her, to be as pretty as Rouge is.

Ace flushes a deep scarlet red and hits him over the head while Rouge laughs like a bell, a delicate hand over her mouth for politeness.

She smells like the pink hibiscus flowers that Ace said she loved so much. Ace sits by her bedside and tells her stories of all the silly things they do at home, or what he learned at school that day, or even what he watched on television earlier.

Rouge uses her thin, frail arms to pull Luffy onto her lap and hugs him tight right before they leave. "It's been a pleasure, Luffy. I've always wanted a second son."

Luffy feels a warmth bud in his chest. It accelerates even faster as the woman presses her lips to his forehead and kisses him affectionately; his eyes sparkle and his mouth is wide, he turns to Ace as if looking for his approval.

A small smile and a nod is all he needs before he wraps around the woman and hugs her tight. The two of them stay until the hospital closes, both hesitant and scared to leave but Rouge bids them farewell and tells them to visit again next week.

Ace thinks that she's getting better. The doctors agree.

They go home with high spirits that day; the two brothers silently walk home and enjoy the sunset that graces the sky as night falls.

Rouge doesn't make it. Ace is fourteen years old when they go to visit Rouge on her birthday. She was doing a lot better; putting on weight, eating more, sleeping more, and she hasn't had a cardiac attack in months.

The doctors said that she would be able to go home soon, but things always seem to get better before they get worse. It's like Yin and Yang. There's always something bad in the good, and always something good in the bad.

Ace can't find anything good about this situation.

The doctors are stumbling over their own feet as Rouge goes into cardiac arrest; there's the sound of rushing footsteps every where as the EKG goes out of control. They're loosing her. Her body jolts every time she goes into cardiac arrest because they don't know how to cure her and they don't know what's wrong.

No one knows what's wrong.

She's dying. That's very wrong.

The line goes flat.

The next few days following the funeral and memorial service seem to bleed into one. Ace changes, drastically. Seven year old Luffy tries to tell his brother that everything will be okay; he's here, and things will get better!

He feels proud of himself for providing some sort of comfort to the one person who comforted him when he needed it, he keeps his chin up and tries to look confident.

Luffy had only known Rouge for a year, but that didn't make her death any easier on him.

Ace thinks the opposite. Right now the last thing he wants to hear from Luffy are words that make it seem like he understands what Ace is going through right now. It was his mom!

His mother who raised him and lived along side him and loved him more than anyone else in the world, whereas Luffy had only known her for a year! What the hell did he know?! "What do you know?! She wasn't even your mom!"

That hurts. Luffy flinches, a hand on his chest as he feels a twinge that tears at him for the briefest of moments.

Truth be told, Luffy wanted to keep crying too. He wanted to curl up in a ball, go hide in the corner, and lock himself away from anything everything that might hurt him.

He couldn't, though. He'd changed. He's no longer the scared three year old that he once was, he's Ace's little brother! He had to be strong, for Ace. "Ace," He begins, hesitant and scared.

Ace rages. His eyes light up with anger and hate so strong that even Luffy takes a step back. "Shut up! Get the hell out of my room! Leave me alone!" Ace shoves him out of the room, it's a push hard enough to make Luffy's back slam against the wall and his breath escape forcibly through his lungs.

Luffy stands up and reaches for the door, but it's slammed in his face. The sound hurts his ears, but it doesn't hurt as much to see the doorknob move in a way that tells him that Ace is locking the door. They never locked doors here.

Luffy doesn't like locked doors.

He tries to be patient, he really does. It just doesn't seem to be working. Ace is getting worse; he reverts back to the way he was when his mother was first diagnosed to be terminally ill.

He secludes himself, yells at everyone, and nearly bursts with anger. Ace just wants to be alone, he decides. It's better to be alone. He didn't need anyone else.

He tells himself this, but really it's just a repeat of what he used to say.

Ace moves Luffy's bed outside of his room, and right back into the empty guest room next to the stairs. Luffy doesn't like it at all; he feels lonely and empty and as if he didn't belong anymore.

He wonders how he'll be able to sleep at night when his brother wasn't sleeping beside him. Wait, were they even brother's anymore? He cocks his head to the side in thought, staring straight at Ace's locked door.

He reaches out to touch it. Does Ace... Still want him?

"Go away, Luffy!"

Probably not. "I don't need you Luffy."

They don't eat together anymore. They don't hold hands going to school; there are no more piggy back rides, games, hugs, or anything that used to make Luffy happy. In a way, it feels like there's no more Ace. Suddenly the house becomes nothing more than a home that once was. Luffy feels as if he does't belong anymore.

"You're not my brother!"

He's alone again, it would seem.

Luffy walks home from school by himself, a week after Ace has stopped talking to him completely. He's dragging his feet because he knows that when he gets home, nothing will change.

Ace might yell at him and tell him to go away again, to get out and never come back. Luffy wonders if he actually should. If Ace didn't want him anymore, then what was the point of staying?

He takes one long look at the dark house and keeps walking.

Ace wouldn't know that he's truly lost everything until morning comes.

Anger shifts to guilt and Ace doesn't know what to do anymore.

He's alone.

* * *

 **A/N: Possible Twoshot depending on feedback. Letme know what you think :) Constructive criticism is welcome.**

 **~Crimsy**


	2. Luffy

**Title** Attatched  
 **Genre** : Angst/Hurt/Comfort  
 **Characters** : Ace/Luffy Brotherly  
 **Summary** : Ace was always convinced that he was better off alone.  
 **Words: 2,535**

* * *

Luffy sits in a corner alone, his legs are pulled into his chest and he keeps his head down the whole time. A couple of other children whisper behind his back but he pays them no mind, instead deciding to draw circles on the floor with his finger. There's not much to do in this run down house, but he makes the best of it.

It's been a couple days. Three, maybe four. It hurts to count and sometimes they just blend into one, so Luffy pays it no mind. He heaves a heavy, overdramatic sigh as his eyes shift towards the clock once more. It'll be dinner time soon, but the other kids seem to like pushing him out of the way before he can reach the kitchen. In the end all he does is waste energy that could've been saved for something else.

It's 18:00. Surly enough, a stampede of children run past in effort to get into the kitchen where dinner is served and tastes far less appitizing than what Luffy is used to. Though really, he'll eat anything if he has the chance. Food is food, after all. It's scarce here. There are locks on the cabinets and just about anywhere else that could possibly hold food, or anything resembling it.

It doesn't take long for the other kids to ravenge the kitchen, leaving just as quickly as they came. Luffy's stomach rumbles at the smell of bread; it's surprisingly close to his nose, but he blames it on hunger. In reality, the floating piece of bread next to his face isn't alone. It's attached to a hand that's attached to an arm, and then a body with a head.

Luffy recognizes the teenager. It's a blond by the name of 'Sabo.' Though there's really no reason for Sabo to be talking with him whatsoever; he has nothing to give, so the other kids push him to the side. He cocks his head to the side. "You're going to starve if you keep this up."

True to his words, Luffy's stomach rumbles. Loudly. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he flushes and breaks eye contact as quick as possible. It's hard to hide the sound, and wrapping his arms around his stomach does nothing to help. "I'm tough! I can get food whenever I feel like it!"

Bullshit.

"Oh? I guess you don't need this at all then, huh?" He smirks, holding the food just out of the kid's reach. Luffy's body betrays him and he jumps high, snatching the food right out of Sabo's hands and choking it down without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Sabo looks shocked, watching as Luffy wipes the droll off of his mouth and licks the crumbs off of his fingers. "I can get it anytime."

If anything, Sabo is amused. "Here's the thing, kid. Someone like you won't survive long here. This," He makes a wide gesture with his arms, catching the attention of a couple other teens for the briefest of moments. "Is a foster home. All of the kids here are older than you. Bigger. Stronger."

"Nu-uh! I'm the strongest!"

Sabo ignores him. "Maybe it was a mistake that you got put here, or maybe you've just got really bad luck. You're stuck here now and if you want to survive then you need to learn."

Luffy shakes his head, just as stubborn as ever. He stands; arms extended and fists clenched tight. "I'm tough! Tougher than anyone!"

This kid is going to get himself killed. "Sure kid."

He leaves, looking over his shoulder only once to see the determination in Luffy's eyes. It would appear that he's gotten himself into a battle that he's destined to lose.

So be it.

 **oOo**

A month passes.

"Here. Eat this."

Luffy looks up at the tall blond teenager with a variety of emotions. Confusion, gratitude, and finally anger. Was this some sort of test? Would Sabo make fun of him after he ate it? Luffy pushes the plate of food away stubbornly and turns to face the wall instead.

He crosses arms over his chest. "I don't need help."

For a month now, Sabo has been watching Luffy from a distance. Everyday Luffy woud fight for just the smallest portions of food, but the older kids would snatch it away from him before he had the chance to taste it.

Other times he would hide out in the kitchen; much to their foster mother's distaste. and then try and grab food from there. However he would always end up empty handed, and with marks from some sort of silverwear being hit against his body.

Their foster mother's favorite utensil seemed to be a spoon.

Sometimes she'd use a fork, which left bloody wounds instead of bruises.

That being said, it's been two months since Luffy joined their foster home. Which also meant that it's been two months since Luffy has had a proper meal; his body is showing sever signs of it too. His skin clings to his bones and his clothing seems to slip off of him whenever it's given the chance.

A loud rumble comes from his stomach, but it's soon quelled by a bottle of water Luffy seems to be using to ignore his needs. He's just too stubborn to ask for help. "I lose okay? You've won this one."

Luffy doens't budge.

"How about you help me and I'll help you, how does that sound?"

It's a deal.

 **oOo**

For the most part Sabo is against the idea of using others for his own personal gain, but things change. Or things stay the same for too long and Sabo doesn't like it; he's been living in the same foster home for two years now nad he's had enough.

Everyone is constantly fighting for space; it's dirty and disgusting and there's never enough food and the foster parents themselves are absolutely awful. Sabo has no intention of spending any more time here than necessary.

That being said, his ray of hope seems to be in the shape of a skinny little boy named Luffy. While everyone else knew of their foster parent's abusive nature and avoided them because of it, it never stopped Luffy from enraging them anyway.

Sabo could have them taken down by accusing them of child abuse.

It's going to have to be something serious; not life threatening, but bad enough that it couldn't be called an accident. It's a hard decision, but it's something that has to happen. It will benefit both him and Luffy, he thinks.

To his left, Luffy draws a long sigh as he sleeps. His face is scrunched up and it look like he's having a nightmare, which isn't exactly rare for him. Sabo reaches over and puts a hand on his shoulder, awkwardly trying to comfort him in his time of need.

It works. The muscles in Luffy's face relax and his lips spread apart as a single word, a name leaves his mouth. "Ace..."

Ace? Sabo frowns. Lately, he's been hearing that name a lot. Sabo wonders if it's a sibling or a parent, or maybe some sort of superhero from a children's TV show. He shakes his head, Luffy cuddles up to him a bit more.

It's a warm feeling, but Sabo decides to stop it. He pulls his hand away.

It would be best not to get any closer to this kid than he already was.

Four more months pass.

Two and a half years since Sabo has started living here, and six months since Luffy showed up. Progress is slow; Luffy's just as skinny and sickly looking as ever, but Sabo tries his best to get food for the kid as much as possible.

The blond blames the kid's fast metabolism.

Luffy spends his days at school, and then finally annoying the hell out of their foster parents. They've grown to hate the kid; taking away his food and sometimes making him sleep outside, other times they'll hurt him. Though it's never anything big enough to call emergency services.

Today would be the day things change.

While everyone else is at school, Luffy is home making a mess out of everything he can find. Their foster mother would come home around twelve in the afternoon after getting a call from Luffy's elementary school about his absence, only to find him covered in dirt and playing with paint in the driveway.

By then she would most likely be screaming obscenities at him, cussing him out and slamming the car door shut while seething in rage. He'll run inside, leading her through the mess he created and finally allowing her to corner him in the bedroom.

It's a risky plan, but it should work. Today would be the pefect day to do it too, as her husband was away on some sort of business trip and she was all by herself. There would be no one to help her hide the evidence of whatever abuse she decides to inflict upon Luffy, and no one to stop Sabo from cleaning up the mess Luffy created after calling the poliece.

"Good luck." Luffy tells him with eyes full of trust and determination; Sabo hasn't told him about the danger he'll be putting himself in, and he doesn't plan to. There's something inside him that twists and pulls at the very idea of Luffy getting hurt, even more so when it's because of him.

This had to work.

Luffy will be fine, he tells himself. "You too." He pats Luffy on the back and leaves for school, along with all the other high schoolers. At this point he can only hope for the best.

Failure isn't an option.

 **oOo**

Ace remembers the day Luffy disappeared.

He hadn't been expecting it, obviously. Just the thought of Luffy not being by his side anymore had scared the living daylights out of him, but he's quick to anger. Quick to yell at people who were trying to help him. He'll probably always be like that, it's just his personality.

Ace wants to say that he was just heartbroken and he didn't know what he was saying, but he did. He knew what he was saying and he knew how much it must've hurt when he said it.

At the time, that's what Ace wanted.

He wanted to hurt someone and force the same amount of pain that he felt onto their shoulders, so that they would be able to carry it together.

He wanted, no, needed someone to understand him but Luffy was the only one there and his words of comfort only made Ace more upset. Luffy didn't do anything wrong; he never did anything wrong. Ace knows that it was his fault that his little brother left.

Ace had forced him out of his life gradually; starting with making him sleep in his own bedroom, not walking him to school anymore, and even ignoring him bluntly every time their eyes meant in the hallway or when Luffy tried to make a desperate attempt to make things better. Ace ignored him, yelled at him, scolded him, and gave him a reason to leave.

It was no wonder he wasn't coming back.

Around three in the morning; Ace nurses his headache and tries his best to get through yet another sleepless night. The house haunts him just as much as his own thoughts; the third chair at the dining table, the stepstool by the sink, Luffy's favorite blanket, and the room gathering dust that once belonged to his little brother.

One day, Ace thinks. He'll find Luffy and drag him back no matter what, giving him all of the love and affection to make him understand that he's never letting go again. His eyes close.

His dreams are plagued with nothing but unwanted memories.

oOo

Luffy nurses his new wounds as best he can. His head won't stop bleeding; mother came home much earlier than expected and ended up throwing a bottle at his head. He feels dizzy and sick and confused; she was never home this early, what had changed?

He hits the wall and slides to the ground, unable to stablizie himself as she approaches him again. His eyes struggle to concentrate on her again; her hair is a mess and her makeup is smeared all over her face. She looks angry, and very upset.

"You... You and all of the other brats, even my shitbag husband! All you want to do is make me suffer! Is it that fun to make me miserable? Is it? Huh!?" She screams at him, raising her voice louder and louder by the second. "This isn't even my fucking house!"

That would explain why she only came in to feed them or on days the social worker came to visit. "It's a cheap house my husband owns... Nothing but a damn barn for animals like you!"

She drops her bag, running a hand through her already messy hair. "We're getting a divorce. My husband and I." She shakes her head, a look of utter disbelief on her face. "It's crazy isn't it?! I married him for his money and he's breaking up with me? I was the best thing that ever happened to him and this is what he does?!

There's nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. Luffy's trapped.

"Turns out he doesn't care about me. He certainly doesn't care about any of you." She reaches out to grab him and Luffy doesn't even try to escape. Sabo's words echo through his head; he needs to get hurt, he needs to let her hurt him. All of this would be pointless if he didn't. Running wouldn't do either of them any good. "All he cares abut is this god damn house!"

"I'm going to take all of it away from him, and you..." Their eyes meet. Luffy swallows nervously. "You are going to watch it all burn."

Not long after, the house goes up in flames.

Surly enough, Luffy does watch it all.

From the inside.

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 **A/N: Should I end it here? I meant for this to be a twoshot but it feels like I could continue. I'm not sure. Leave your thoughts in the reviews, or pm me.**

 **Thanks for reading, and thank you so much for reviewing.**

 **Bye~**

 **~Crimsy**

* * *

 **A/N: Possible Twoshot depending on feedback. Letme know what you think :) Constructive criticism is welcome.**


	3. Sabo

**Title** Attatched  
 **Genre** : Angst/Hurt/Comfort  
 **Characters** : Ace/Luffy Brotherly  
 **Summary** : Ace was always convinced that he was better off alone.  
 **Words: 2,065**

* * *

Sabo: 16, Ace: 15, L̶u̶f̶f̶y̶:̶ ̶8̶

The foster home burned down. Their foster parents were in custody, and once more Sabo is alone. Alone with a new pain in his chest that digs and writhes and screams, it clenches at his heart and threatens to rip it out but never kills him. Depression is weird like that.

He can't sleep at night anymore. He spends his days dragging himself around like a zombie; unsure of what to do or how to act or even how to cope with his mistakes. In short, Sabo got what he wanted. The foster home that he had been foced to live in for nearly three years was destroyed, burnt to the ground.

The cost? An lonely eight year old boy who wanted nothing more than just a bit of food and a little attention. Sabo remembers the way he had interlocked his pinky finger with a smaller one, and promised that everything would be okay.

It wasn't.

Sabo is forced to cope with that every day, for the past three months since the incident. There are bags underneath his eyes, he buries himself in school work, and ignores everyone's attempt to bond with him.

The orphanage was a lot better than their foster home. / _He_ / would've liked it here; everyone's nice, the caretakers do their jobs, and there's always plenty of food. Sabo planned on spending the rest of his childhood here and then figure out what he wants to do with his life at eighteen, but things change.

A woman with incredibly kind eyes and a small smile has been trying to adopt him for the past three months. The process goes through and her background is clear. Before long he's moving in with her and really, he doesn't understand her desire to adopt a sixteen year old boy who's practically an adult but he doesn't question her.

Actually, he's a bit wary.

She welcomes him into her house, shows him around, and even gives him his own bedroom. It's average sized and the room itself is rather childish, a bin of small children's toys rests in the corner. She apologizes for it, saying that she will have it removed as soon as possible.

Sabo's happy. He hasn't had his own bedroom since his parents went bankrupt and ended up putting both him, and his little brother up for adoption. It's a good feeling; something tells him that he'll be happy here in this small little house in the city.

And he is.

It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off of him. He gets transferred to a new high school, making friends, and living life like he's never lived before. Sabo feels happy. He's happy.

At school Sabo makes a strange friend named Ace, but he feels more connected to him than anyone else. His name sounds familiar but he's not sure why, at least not until later on when Ace brings up his past.

He talks about his little brother a lot; a bundle of joy who his grandfather brought home one day. He was actually quite shy when he first moved in, but when he finally opened up it was the best thing in the world.

Ace talks about when his mother died and awful way he had reacted, treating his younger brother like a stranger that didn't belong instead of a member of a family. His eyes darken considerably and a tired look reflects in his eyes. "I scared him off, and he ran away. I haven't seen him since."

Sabo feels his own heart tighten at his story too, but he does his best to stay positive. "Are you looking for him?"

Ace shrugs his shoulders, running a hand through his hair and sighing. "Yeah, but its been over a year now since he disappeared. Not even Gramps knows where he is."

The blonde slams his hands on the table, a bit upset by Ace's negativity. This kid was still out there, most likely waiting for him! There was no way Ace could give up, no matter how long it took! "You can't give up! Hell, I'll help you! He probably wants to see you more than you want to see him!"

"Really? You don't think he'd be upset with me?"

"Even if he is, it doesn't matter. You just can't leave it like this." Sabo puts a hand on his friend's shoulder, feeling confident at the hope that's been lit in Ace's eyes. "What's his name?"

Sabo hates life because life hates him.

"Luffy."

 **oOo**

"Mom,"

Makino looks up at her adopted son curiously, quick to put down her book and place all of her attention on him. He's been acting weird ever since he came home from school two hours early, and as spent the whole time locked in his room.

If there was something bothering him, then Makino was all ears. "Why did you adopt me?" The question is surprising, but she doesn't react negatively. Instead she hums and moves over, patting the spot on the couch that she's not taking up anymore.

He joins her. "It's simple really, I wanted kids. But I can't have kids." She places a hand on her stomach. "Quite some time ago I suffered from leukemia, and the Chemo treatment took that away from me."

"Sorry." He apologizes, breaking eye contact to look down. It's a bit awkward, but if this was the only way to get answers than so be it. "But why me? I'm sixteen, just a couple more years and I'm an adult."

She shakes her head. "You'll only just a kid, and you will be for quite some time no matter what age you are." She reaches forward and runs her fingers through his hair, it's a very comforting motion. In such a short time, it's hard to believe that Sabo would become attached so quickly. "I've always wanted a son."

Really all he's doing is filling the need for affection that his inner child so desperately needed. "Why me?"

Sighing, she withdraws her fingers. "I''m an elementary school teacher. I used to teach this little boy named Luffy... Your foster brother, I believe." Sabo stiffens noticeably, but remains quiet as he waits for her to continue. "He talked about you so much, he really loved you."

"I know." Sabo never had the chance to tell the kid that he felt the same way.

"He'd tell me about all his bruises and about how he wasn't hungry, even though he was practically skin and bones. I promised to take him away and adopt him myself, but he said..." She smiles, eyes sparkling as she looks at Sabo. "He wouldn't leave without you."

"You wanted to adopt both of us."

"I was heartbroken when I found out what happened, but I'm sure he's in a better place now." She pauses. "I'm just happy I got you."

"It was my fault. He died because of me. I knew that our foster mother was abusive and I told him, I told him to stay home and let her beat him- for evidence... but... then she... She killed him!"

Hot tears run down his face as he looks to his mother for some sort of reaction; positive or negative, he doesn't care. He just needs something! "He had a brother too, and Ace doesn't even know that Luffy's dead!"

She reaches out to him and he closes his eyes, prepared for whatever strike she was trying to hit him with. Instead, she wraps her arms around him and hugs him tight. They stay like that for awhile; Sabo's hysterical sobs eventually calm down until there's nothing but silence.

"I won't tell you what to do, but I think you should tell Ace. It's the right thing to do."

Sabo nods, remembering how hopeful Ace had looked at school.

This was going to ruin more than just a friendship.

 **oOo**

"Hey, asshole!"

Sabo's tired eyes flutter rapidly; is it his imagination or is Ace somehow standing in his room with him? He shakes his head and his new roomate flicks on the light, it takes a couple seconds for his eyes to adjust. "Ace?"

"Yeah, Ace. Your best friend. Yknow, the one you were talking to at school before you ran off in some crazed frenzy." He crosses his arms over his chest, an amused look on his face. "When are you coming back to school? It's been two days."

He pauses. "It's not Sunday?"

"No, it's not Sunday. And here I thought that you were the smart one." Ace rolls his eyes dramatically before getting to the point. "What's going on with you? Don't just avoid me if there's something wrong. We're brothers aren't we?"

"Yeah..." Sabo brings himself to his feet, briefly swaying before regaining his balance. "There's... Something I need to show you."

Ace looks as if he wants to say something more, or maybe he wants to ask questions but he stops himself. There's a hardness in Sabo's eyes that Ace has never seen before and it's disturbing, he stiffens. Nothing is said to assure him that everything is okay. "Sure."

There's an odd silence surrounding them both as they get in the back of the car; even the normally chatty Makino is quiet as she drives. Sabo avoids eye contact, crossing his legs and shifting his weight towards the side of the door. Ace isn't sure what to think.

It doesn't take long. Maybe somewhere in between ten and twenty minutes total, but it feels like hours. Makino drops them off on the curb of a nice little park and Sabo grabs his bag; his mother gives him a comforting nod as he closes the door.

"Is everything okay?" Ace inquires once more. It feels as if he's asked the same question a hundred times by now, but he always gets the same answer.

Silence.

Sabo looks down. "Follow me."

It doesn't take long for Ace to find out that no, this isn't a nice little park at all. It's a graveyard. There are gravestones, flowers, and various other offerings. It's actually quite depressing; the shining sun and cool breeze feels wrong right now. It's out of place.

"Why are we here, Sabo?"

"What's going on?"

"What did you want to show me?"

Sabo comes to an abrupt stop, standing in front of a particularly small grave that somehow shines brighter than all the others. A variety of flowers surround it gracefully; they look new, a couple of days old at most. Really the whole thing looks as if it's shining.

Whoever it belonged to, must have been loved. Such devotion brings a warm smile to Ace's face; he looks to Sabo, who stares back at him with an unreadable expression. The red, orange and yellow flowers does not resemble the sunset or the sunrise. Ace doesn't know that.

The dark black tombstone and the white writing, doesn't resemble the light found in darkness.

There are nothing but newspaper articles stuffed inside Sabo's backpack; they're crumbled and old, but he refuses to get rid of them. Just like his memories of Luffy being crushed by the second floor of the house, burned, and then being pulled out of the aftermath- stayed around to haunt him.

 _Fire, a_ _sh, death. Crushed. Burned. Dead._

"It's beautiful." Ace breathes.

"It's Luffy."

 ** _Gone but not forgotten_**

 **Monkey D. Luffy**

 _ **Alone no longer.**_

 **...**

* * *

 **A/N: Please leave your thoughts and corrections in the reviews!**

 **You got your threeshot, but at what cost? ;-;)**

 **Thank you all for joining me on this ride, but this is our stop. See you guys on the next trip.**

 **Bye!**

~ **Crimsy**


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